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SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 18, 2017 — A key role of universities and colleges is to educate the new class of entrepreneurs, future business owners, and employees — with flexible, responsive curricula jointly created and designed by practitioners and academics.

That was the message of Caryn Beck-Dudley, dean of the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University, who spoke earlier this month at U.N. Headquarters in New York at the invitation of the Permanent Mission of Argentina and the International Council for Small Business. The May 11 Knowledge Summit was convened to commemorate the United Nations’ establishment of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (MSME Day), spotlighting the vital role of small businesses for global development, economic growth, and job creation.

“How can universities and colleges help create and support innovation hubs in the areas in the United States and worldwide where “brain hubs” do not currently exist? Are programs like the My Own Business Institute at Santa Clara University now essential for the areas where educational levels are low, and what is our role in that new world?” Beck-Dudley asked at the event.

Beck-Dudley was one of eight academic leaders representing institutions across the country and the Americas to address how academic institutions are integral in the success of small businesses.

Located in the heart of innovation-driven Silicon Valley the Leavey School of Business has pioneered numerous small-business initiatives for undergraduates, MBA students and community members.

• LSB offers more than a dozen entrepreneurship-focused classes as well as a minor in entrepreneurship
• Through LSB’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, academics and business practitioners teach and mentor student entrepreneurs creating enterprises that benefit entire communities.
• SCU’s My Own Business Institute provides free online education for entrepreneurs around the country and the world.
• The fully funded California Program for Entrepreneurship provides training, mentorship and other support to dozens of selected California-based startups each year.

“It was an honor to represent the Leavey School of Business at the United Nations,” Beck-Dudley said. “Our efforts to support both local and global micro, small, and medium enterprises are integral to the success of MSMEs worldwide. It was a humbling experience to meet with others working toward the same goals.”

Other speakers at the summit included leaders from the U.N., the International Council for Small Business, and representatives from businesses and institutions across the globe.

In April, the U.N. adopted a resolution establishing June 27 as MSME Day. Co-sponsored by 45 member states representing over 5 billion people, its adoption supports the 2030 U.N. Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, examining “how MSMEs have the potential to make a long-lasting positive impact on global development needs, [working] as the engine for economic growth and job creation, [and] accounting for two out of three net new jobs created worldwide.”

About Leavey School of Business
The Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University began in 1923 and was one of the first business schools in the country to receive national accreditation. Its undergraduate business, MBA, and M.S. programs are consistently ranked among the top in the nation by BusinessWeek, U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review, and others. The curricula at all levels emphasizes the leadership role of business in creating prosperity within an ethical framework, as well as business responsibilities for social justice and sustainability in the global marketplace. For more information, see www.scu.edu/business.

About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University, a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located 40 miles south of San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley, offers its more than 9,000 students rigorous undergraduate curricula in arts and sciences, business, and engineering; master’s degrees in business, education, counseling psychology, pastoral ministry, and theology; and law degrees and engineering doctoral degrees. Distinguished nationally by one of the highest graduation rates among all U.S. master’s universities, California’s oldest operating higher-education institution demonstrates faith-inspired values of ethics and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.

Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121